What was important about the landscape in ancient Greece?

The location of ancient Greece was important for its cultural development and success as a civilization. Being surrounded on three sides by water while being comprised of many islands, as well, Greek cities were able to engage easily in seaborne trade. They were close enough to older, more established cultures (such as Persia) to have trade-success while being far enough to be secure from surprise attacks. Their skill in sea-faring in fact proved to be the vital element in Greek survival for centuries.